Low-quality or cheap e-liquid. What are the consequences?

We have no idea what it contains and whether it could have irreversible effects. The bottles provide no information and even if they do, can we trust it? Low-quality e-liquids are characterised by scratchy throat, dry mouth, unpleasant chemical tinge and other similar symptoms.

Surely you have noticed articles in the media about people being intoxicated by e-cigarettes. It is true, provided that they have bought e-liquids mixed together from ingredients available in someone's garage. The reason people mix e-liquids using available analogous substances is that purchasing and ordering some of the necessary ingredients is prohibited in Estonia. The Tax and Customs Board will intervene should anyone try to import such ingredients. Another reason is the cost price of producing high-quality e-liquids as these could not be marketed so cheaply which in turn would minimise the customer base. The production of high-quality e-liquids is relatively expensive because purer ingredients are used.

E-cigarettes are all alike and many think that they all originate from the same factory. In reality, there are hundreds of different producers. E-cigarettes might look alike but their components and manufacturing methods vary heavily. Chinese storm the market by price and, as we all know, most Chinese products are cheap and low-quality. The same applies to e-cigarettes but there are producers who supply high-quality products which are worth the price.

There are many things which could be harmful to us - you just need to know what to buy. We can protect of our health by knowing what to consume.

To our knowledge, Nicorex is one of the few suppliers of e-cigarettes in Estonia who sells inspected and certified e-liquids and e-cigarettes of the finest quality. As far as we know, Nicorex is the only one in Estonia who has essential oils added to its liquids to moisten the oral mucosa and avoid dryness. Other companies in Estonia don't use such additives for a simple reason - it increases the cost price of the liquid. Further, Nicorex's liquids are free from ethanol contained in many of the liquids produced in China. Ethanol intensifies the scratchy throat feeling which is unpleasant for many.

What do the e-liquids of e-cigarettes contain?

Normally, the main components of e-liquids include vegetable glycerine or glycerol (common abbreviation in English: VG), propylene glycol (PG), water and flavours. Of course, e-liquids with nicotine contain nicotine too. Normally, concentrations below 8 mg are considered mild, 8 to 12 mg medium, and over 12 mg strong. The liquid is based on PG or VG to keep the nicotine and the flavours balanced allowing you to puff smoke-like vapour clouds using your e-cigarette. Both PG and VG are organic substances.

Liquids based on propylene glycol (PG) are more common across the world because PG is relatively liquid and is better absorbed by the wick of the e-cigarette's atomizer. Besides, compared to VG, the build-up of solid substance on the coil is slower. PG is almost tasteless and odourless and has little effect on the taste of the e-liquid. It is used as a humectant in the food industry. If consumed consistently, it causes a feeling of scratchy and dry throat as opposed to regular cigarettes, but it is also a strong moisturiser. However, it could induce an allergic reaction in some individuals. The US Food and Drug Administration has declared this substance to be generally harmless.

Liquids based on vegetable glycerine (VG) have their advantages. VG is widely used in foodstuffs and beverages as a humectant, solvent, filler, sweeter, food additive, etc. Owing to its moisturising properties it is used also in the pharmaceutical and personal care applications. It has a slightly sweet taste which makes liquids based on VG sweeter. Therefore, bringing out other tastes is more complicated but possible. As VG has a higher density than PG, it generates much more vapour when vaping but causes no dryness or scratchiness of the throat. It rarely induces any allergic reactions.

Many original mass-produced liquids from Chinese or European manufacturers generate little vapour and scratch the throat. The reason is that they use cheap and less pure ingredients because Chinese storm the market by price. Companies providing e-liquids order liquids from factories which supply e-liquids with standard composition. The specialists of Nicorex have developed their own recipes and our liquids are all custom-made. We use only the purest ingredients in our liquids. This means that compare to average liquids available in Estonia, they feature more vapour, softness and clean taste, and less scratchiness of the throat. Another feature distinguishing Nicorex e-liquids from all others is the presence of essential oils which moisten the oral mucosa and minimise dryness of the mouth.

Furthermore, the amount of flavours has been changed so that their concentrations would be just right - not too much and not too little. Some liquids contain different concentrations of flavours, plus the ratio between flavours has been adjusted to obtain the optimal result. A little bit of distilled water has been added because it is necessary in e-liquids and good for the lungs. However, they contain less water than most liquids produced in Europe because excessive amounts of distilled water make the mixture too liquid and in some atomisers it begins to run excessively and causes slurping.

It took a long time for Nicorex to achieve the right ratios but the result of this testing period is very good. It depends somewhat on the atomiser too because the e-liquid is supposed to function well with certain atomiser types. The first e-liquids created years ago suited the old type atomisers. However, atomisers have evolved over the years. Because the large producers did not change the composition of liquids, their liquids simply became obsolete. Nicorex modified the liquids on its own initiative.

Be aware of what you consume - buying cheap and unknown e-liquids could mean savings on the account of your own health. Prefer quality www.nicorex.eu